Packaging constitutes a substantial proportion of the cost of providing goods to customers in terms of the manufacture of packaging materials and packaging processes. Although paper bags and sacks were primarily used to package purchased merchandise in the past, currently various types of plastic bags are provided by most merchants. Plastic bags are provided to merchants in various ways, generally to make their use convenient at checkout stands to avoid delays to customers in line. In some cases, refillable racks or dispensers are provided on which groups of plastic bags are placed where they can be removed one at a time during checkout. One common type of rack includes a framework with a pair of horizontally extending rods or arms on which groups of plastic bags are placed, the bags having pairs of rod receiving apertures or a rounded slot for forming a convenient handhold. The rack allows a bag to be pulled open and supported in an open condition while being filled with purchased merchandise. When filled, the bag is removed from the rack and given to the customer or placed in a shopping cart. A refillable bag rack of this general nature is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,788, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
In many cases, plastic bags are used a single time and then discarded as trash. There are movements to encourage shoppers to reuse plastic bags or to purchase and make use of reusable shopping bags. Reusable shopping bags are made of more durable materials than single-use plastic bags and may be formed of a heavier plastic film or of a sturdy woven fabric, such as of canvas, synthetic fibers, or the like. A single reusable shopping bag may be convenient to use when shopping for just a few items. However, shoppers are also encouraged to minimize shopping trips to reduce vehicle fuel usage. Thus, if a customer shops for a large number of items at one time, inconveniences can result from attempts to pack purchases into a multitude of reusable shopping bags. The reusable bags can be carried loosely or rolled or folded into one of the bags, as the customer shops. When the customer is ready to checkout, the bags must be given to the cashier or a sacker, thereby possibly cluttering the counter. Otherwise, if the customer places the checked-out items in the bags, delays can result, causing inconvenience to shoppers waiting in line to checkout.